On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, we’re learning about homelessness in Japan and the life of Japanese day laborers.
About Dr. Tom Gill
Dr. Tom Gill is a professor of social anthropology at the Faculty of International Studies at Meiji Gakuin University in Yokohama. He is the author of the 2015 book Yokohama Street Life: The Precarious Career of a Japanese Day Laborer.
Topics Discussed
- Dr. Tom Gill’s first experience in Sanya in Tokyo
- Reporting on street riots in Sanya in 1986
- About Sanya in Tokyo
- What a doyagai is
- About Japanese slum districts
- About Japanese day laborers
- Why Sanya is mainly populated by single men
- How the anime/manga Ashita no Joe is set in Sanya
- The aging population of Japan’s slums
- What a doya is
- What a typical doya room is like
- Older doya versus newer doya
- What a deluxe doya is
- Why people might choose to stay in doya despite it being more expensive to ren than an apartment
- About Japanese welfare
- On talking to people in doyagai
- On collecting cans in Osaka
- On municipal homeless shelters in Japan
- The increasing number of doya in Kotobukicho
- About homeless women in Japan
- Why there are so few homeless women in Japan
- Whether Dr. Gill has had any dangerous experiences in Japanese slums
- And much more!
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Links, Videos, Etc.
If you would like to purchase Dr. Gill’s book–Yokohama Street Life: The Precarious Career of a Japanese Day Laborer–please consider using the Amazon affiliate link below.
If you would like to read some of Dr. Gill’s work, the best place to start is his Academia.edu page.
Don’t forget to check out the latest episode of the Ichimon Japan podcast.
If you would like to support the show by picking up some merchandise, make sure to visit KimitoDesigns.com.
Special Thanks
Opening/Closing song: Oedo Controller (大江戸コントローラー) by Yunomi featuring Toriena (Used with permission from Yunomi) To listen to more of Yunomi’s music, check out his Soundcloud page or YouTube channel.
Japan Station cover art: Provided by Erik R.
Featured image: Courtesy of N/A
